I probably know the answer already, but I'm one of those bone heads who rarely learns anything from tablature. I quite struggle with it. I don't read score worth a flip either though I took some college courses that required reading music. I think I'm really an aural learner, much less a visual learner.
I have learned a lot by watching and hearing other pickers play, but by approximating what they do more by ear than anything else. A lot of my "method" was gained by listening to LPs. I've had much greater success learning from recordings than any method book or tablature. As such, I've never been one to play a piece exactly as another picker does. My sound comes by improvisation and approximation. I don't even try to pick it just like Earl, dogmatic opinions not withstanding.
Any thoughts?